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52 Lowell Street, Lexington, MA
Wed – Fri: 2 pm – 7 pm; Sat: 9 am – 5 pm; Sun: 10 am – 4 pm
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Week of July 30, 2014 (Week #8)
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What's In Your Share This Week
In the Farm Stand
- White wing onions
- Summer Squash
- Zucchini
- Cucumbers
- Celery
- Carrots —may be loose or bunched, depending on the planting.
- Swiss Chard
- Eggplant
- First tomatoes!
Pick Your Own Crops This Week
- Basil
- Parsley
- Dill
- Cilantro
- Cherry tomatoes
We do our best to predict what will be available but the CSA newsletter hits the press before the week's harvest begins. That means that sometimes you'll see vegetables at the stand that aren't on the list, and sometimes vegetables on the list are not actually ready for harvest.
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Notes from the Field
Merriam-Webster defines bumper as “unusually large”…as in bumper crop. Both the harvests and actual vegetables coming from the squash, zucchini and cucumber beds have been rather bumper these last couple of weeks. Perhaps you’ve noticed. It seems that squash really liked the growing conditions of the past weeks, to the point that we were beginning to feel like we needed to be harvesting those beds every day, for hours on end. The sheer length of our mid-season to-do list makes that sort of harvest schedule untenable. We need afternoons to weed, seed, tie tomatoes and get the last of our fall brassicas in the ground; it does our psyches a world of good knowing that there is a whole other season’s worth of food in the ground that doesn’t involve spiny, thorny, angry plants. While we have our eye on all of the fall planting we are doing now, we are so truly grateful to be harvesting all of the squash zucchini and cucumbers that we hoped to harvest this time of year.
During our marathon harvest last Sunday Dan and I discovered the beginnings of some nasty diseases in the cucumbers and zucchini. With the right conditions, those diseases can spread rapidly and bring a sudden and startling transition from bumper to scarcity. The warm, dry weather of the past week arrested the progression of those diseases, but we’re very cognizant of the possibility of things changing rapidly when it comes to plant health this time of year. The starkest example of that in this region is late blight of tomatoes. For those of you new to the game of local agriculture, late blight (Phytophthora infestans) is a disease that can destroy an otherwise completely healthy and robust stand of tomatoes in the span of a couple of days. As in-nothing left but melting, rotting plants. We have some preventative practices in organic agriculture, and a small but growing arsenal of late blight resistant tomato varieties, and we’ve made an effort to take advantage of these measures. But once it arrives on a farm, organic growers have no option but to cut twine, pull stakes and mow the crop. In 2009 the disease was introduced in large volume to our region for the first time, right before tomato harvest really got into full swing. It’s the type of disease that travels rapidly and favors wet, cool conditions. One way that it’s conveyed from farm to farm, garden to garden, seedling to seedling is in wind and rain. At this point in the season, heavy outbreaks of late blight have already been reported in western Massachusetts, Maine and Long Island. In short, we’re surrounded. We had a forecast of rain earlier this week, which Dan took to calling the “late blight delivery system”. We dodged a bullet with that storm, which cleaved around us, but needless to say, we’re a bit concerned with the rain we just received on Sunday. Farmers in western Mass have reported that their late blight resistant varieties are looking healthy right next to infected plants, so we’re hopeful that if it does hit this region and this farm, we’ll have the same sort of result with our own variety selections.
A much less dramatic example of how our greatest plans are often waylaid by both predictable and unpredictable factors would be our bunched greens selection in the CSA. On paper, we planned to rotate week to week through our beautiful plantings of chard, kale and collards, ideally often offering a choice between them. We started out right on target, with kale, chard and about half the collard planting come strong out of the gates. We kept the kale and collards covered until we began the CSA harvest in order to protect them from a few different spring time pests, and were initially successful. The brassica flea beetle is a little black critter that hops around, feasting on kale and collard leaves (as well as anything else in the cabbage family), creating ragged edges and lacy holes. It used to be that once these crops got past their tender leaf stage and matured to the point of having a waxy cuticle on their surface, they became less attractive and tasty to flea beetles. It also used to be that the population dwindled significantly during late June and through July. Not so much this summer. Our plants were further weakened by a jump crabgrass growth and we may be forced to move on from them and bide our time until our second generation is ready to pick. Have I mentioned how much I appreciate our Swiss chard planting?
All of this is to say that farming is a hugely unpredictable blend of art, science, philosophy, voodoo, and endurance sport. Like most things, experience in this craft brings added wisdom and added confusion. We are nearing the midpoint of our first season operating Lexington Community Farm and we are learning a ton about this property and the capacity of these soils to produce food. We have seen many challenges and enjoyed many successes already and the only thing that we can count on is that we will discover something new each day.
Enjoy the bumper!
- Dan, Erinn and the crew.
P.S.--On a brighter note, Dennis has begun his corn harvest and we’re hoping to have it for sale consistently on the stand over the next couple of months. Hurray!
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All About Zucchini and Summer Squash
Summer squash are a type of squash that have tender, edible skin. Summer squash comes in many shapes and sizes. You've probably already seen zucchini, yellow squash, and pattypan squash in your share over the past few weeks.
Choosing: Select firm squash (check the stem end). Choose the smallest squash or zucchini available. Ideally (though they won't always be). the squash should be no more than 6-8 inches long and 1-2 inches across.
Storing: Summer squash and zucchini should be stored unwashed, in a plastic bag, in your crisper drawer. The bag opening should be loose, not sealed.
Freezing: To freeze summer squash or zucchini, blanch chunks or slices first in unsalted water to prevent it from becoming mushy. Lay out the blanched pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze before transferring to air-tight bags or containers. You can skip the step of freezing on the baking sheet, but your pieces are more likely to stick together.
Pickling: You can also make zucchini pickles, with dill or not.
- Betsy Pollack
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Featured Vegetable: Zucchini and Summer Squash
Zucchini Gratin
This makes a light summer lunch or side dish. Don't skip the step of salting and draining the grated zucchini or your gratin might be a bit watery.
Serves 2-3 as a main dish, 4-6 as a side.
2 lbs zucchini, coarsely grated
Kosher salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 to 4 Tbsp slivered fresh basil
2 eggs, beaten
2 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 Tbsp bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with oil.
Toss the zucchini with salt and let it sit in a colander in the sink for 15 to 30 minutes to draw out the liquid. Rinse and gently squeeze out the moisture.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and add zucchini, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, until the zucchini is starting to cook through. Add the garlic, and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and basil and remove from the heat.
Beat the eggs and goat cheese together with a fork. Stir in the zucchini. Adjust seasonings, and transfer the mixture to the prepared dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned and mixture is sizzling.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Betsy Pollack is a LexFarm board member with a passion for cooking. She tries to eat as mindfully as possible, thinking about where food comes from, geographically and otherwise, eating seasonally, and supporting local agriculture.
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More Ideas for Zucchini and Summer Squash
Note that for most of these recipes, different varieties of summer squash can be used interchangeably, based on what you have on-hand.
Soups
Try a simple pureed zucchini soup with not much more than zucchini and broth.
Here's another simple zucchini soup that also uses cilantro from your share
Use summer squash and add some buttermilk for this one. Though this recipe is vegetarian, you could also use chicken broth, homemade if you have it.
Make a cream of zucchini soup. You could substitute other mild onions for the leeks.
Vary the spices and go around the world. Enjoy a taste of India, Greece (avgolemono), Mexico, or France.
Pasta
Add shredded zucchini and herbs to linguine
Add zucchini, tomatoes, and ricotta to orecchiette
Add a mixture of summer squash to penne.
The umami of anchovies add depth to sliced zucchini added to pappardelle or grated zucchini added to spaghetti.
Make "noodles" out of the zucchini!
Pizza
Revisit the primavera pizza we suggested when peas were in season. Now, use green beans and summer squash.
You can grill your pizza. add goat cheese (you could use red onion or cherry tomatoes in place of red pepper), add zucchini to the crust, use zucchini rounds for the crust of bite-size pizzas, or top with romesco sauce to make it vegan.
Other Entrees
From the blog Almost Turkish, there is a whole category devoted to zucchini. Some include meat, others meatless. Fried, stuffed, stewed, baked. The zucchini Borek (Turkish name for what we usually call spanakopita) looks beautiful and delicious.
Try a tart inspired by lasagna, but without the noodles, or a zucchini, onion and ricotta pie with a simple breadcrumb crust.
Along with tomatoes and eggplant, roast zucchini in a ratatouille tian. You can arrange leftovers in a pre-baked pastry shell, sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese, and heat in the oven for a delicious savory tart.
Add zucchini to curry like this green curry with chicken or this red curry with shrimp. Try making your own curry paste: green or red.
Layer zucchini with lasagna noodles and a feta sauce for a Croatian musaka.
Stuff them and top with cheese or a peanut sauce.
Make zucchini parmesan (instead of eggplant). For less fuss, you could roast the zucchini slices tossed in olive oil instead of breading and frying them.
Add zucchini chunks to kebabs and grill
Add to a falafel like patty and make a pita sandwich.
Make black bean & zucchini quesadillas.
Salads
Add grilled zucchini or squash to a grain-based salad, like these quinoa salads. This one is a composed salad that could be served as a meal, like an abundance bowl, and this one is more of a side salad.
Don't forget about slaw! This recipe offers two different dressings, a creamy one or a sweet and tart one. This one coats the zucchini with chipotle and sour cream where the slaw is part of a chicken sandwich.
Spice up a salad made from zucchini ribbons with lime juice and red chile.
Side Dishes
Stew zucchini or summer squash in olive oil with chard and cherry tomatoes or with anchovies and capers.
Layer summer squash with breadcrumbs for a gratin topped with a vibrant salsa verde.
Miscellaneous Savory Uses
Try zucchini fritters. These are served like latkes, and these get dipped in a delicious soy-based sauce.
You could cook the zucchini down until it's like a jam. You can spread the resulting zucchini butter on toast, make it into a sandwich with salted tomatoes or soft cheese, use it as a pizza sauce, or eat it as a side dish.
Baked Goods
There's the common solution to too-much-zucchini: zucchini bread. Get creative and customize zucchini bread to invent your own signature recipe. Or, if you don't feel like being creative, this amped-up version with crystallized ginger, lemon, and poppy seeds looks wonderful.
For dessert, there's zucchini cake with chocolate or a lemon crunch glaze. Or you could make cupcakes: with chocolate, without, or with zucchini frosting!
Other
If this isn't enough, here are more ideas for summer squash from Food & Wine, Martha Stewart, The Kitchn, Sunset, and Mark Bittman.
Compiled by Jackie Starr & Betsy Pollack
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Weekly Menu Planning Ideas
Each month, CSA shareholder Jackie Starr will share her weekly menu ideas based on the week's share.
Summer squash and zucchini can generally be used interchangeably in the recipes below.
Celery that I've bought from farms usually has a high leaf-to-stalk ratio compared with the blanched, mostly leafless giant stalks to be had at the grocery store, and the leaves are a terrific edible ingredient. Celery leaves tend to find their way into a stock, soup, or chicken salad before I've had a chance to do anything else with them. But I've been intending to make celery salt: Heidi Swanson gives her recipe here plus a few foods she uses it to season.
| Day |
Menu |
Notes and other protein ideas |
| 1 |
Szechwuan eggplant; tofu; rice; cucumber salad |
In place tofu could use anything you like. Here is a similar recipe that includes pork. |
| 2 |
Grilled zucchini & summer squash with peanut sauce; soba noodles; grilled fish; cucumber and tomatoes |
I offer three sauce recipes, one that is delicious on the squash but may not work for soba (which could instead be doused with this); another that would go well with both. |
| 3 |
Carrot-almond pesto on pasta; salad |
Could add prosciutto, anchovies, or shrimp to the salad or serve this carrot pesto and pasta as a side to pork tenderloin. |
| 4 |
Tabouli; cooked beans with dill; leftover grilled vegetables
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Some may wish to add grilled chicken, such as chicken souvlaki. If you don't have bulgur, consider making the same salad with quinoa or rice. I typically have previously cooked beans in my freezer for quick meal prep, but a can of garbanzos will do fine. |
| 5 |
Veggie burgers; zucchini soup; chopped salad with celery, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, toasted walnuts (chopped) |
Or any burgers. I took out veggie burgers I'd previously made and frozen and made this soup the day before; this is another zucchini soup I love – both are pretty quick. |
| 6 |
Sauteed swiss chard*; potato salad; leftover zucchini soup. |
Grilled sausages would go well with potato salad. I plan to make a cider vinegar dressing and use some of this week's produce, such as white onions and celery. |
| 7 |
Black bean and zucchini (or other) quesadillas with cucumber mint soup or beet salsa |
If you've eaten through your squash or dread another zuc and cuke meal, substitute into the quesadillas a handful of chopped chard, sauteed chard stems, some thawed frozen corn, sauteed fresh corn kernels, or lightly sauteed white onions. |
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*Other options for chard:
There are many ideas for using greens on the LexFarm website.
Here are a couple other alternatives for using swiss chard in this week's mix:
- It could be used in place of spinach in a classic Moosewood vegetable mac 'n cheese (I've adapted this many times, usually increasing the amount of vegetables; it tastes much better than it sounds and freezes very well).
- I also love this cashew sauce ("vegan cheese sauce" but I bet you'll enjoy it more if you don't think of it as cheese). I omit the truffle oil, use a bit of fresh onion and garlic instead of the powders, and usually reduce the almond milk and cornstarch by at least half. Once you’ve soaked the cashews, this is very quick to make and would be delicious on pasta or cooked grains with sauteed or steamed chard. The recipe makes a ton and freezes well; I thaw it on very low heat taking care to keep an eye on it and stir so it doesn't clump.
Jackie Starr is a LexFarm founding member who has been a flexitarian home cook for 25 years. Her recipe selections and adaptations are informed by experiences living abroad, by having spent many years in the Bay Area and Seattle, and by a delight in local, seasonal bounty.
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Lexington Community Farm is a project of LexFarm in cooperation with Community Farms Outreach
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or to add another member of your household to the mailing list for this weekly CSA newsletter, send an email to csa@lexfarm.org.
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Farm Managers
Community Farms Outreach
Dan Roberts, Farm Manager
Erinn Roberts, Farm Manager
Staff
LexFarm
Janet Kern,
Acting Executive Director
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LexFarm Board of Directors
Ken Karnofsky, President
Derek Moody, Treasurer
Susan Amsel
Nancy Gold
Carolyn Goldstein
Linda Levin
Betsy Pollack
Charlie Radoslovich
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